WANTZ has raised over 1.2 million for Queensland charities over the last 10 years - not a shabby effort by any means!

And our signature event is always our intimate dinner held at Restaurant II in Brisbane each year

You know that Superstar tea cosy has spent the last week trying to cajole an invite out of me for this signature event

I think it started when she saw a photo of Superstar Chef David Pugh - She obviously saw a kindred spirit in their shared Superstar status

So it really was not a surprise to me when I discovered her (changed into her formal tea cosy reserved soley for special or black tie occasions) amongst all my paraphernalia when I arrived at the restaurant

She quickly cosied herself with the champagne on ice

She was brazen enough to charge in and demand a selfie with the man of the moment himself

She hassled his kitchen staff right in the heart of the busy period

and, right after they threw her out, she settled for fraternising with the auction and raffle prizes (how gorgeous is this Mercedes car!)

Until the marvellous Swing Central Big Band arrived - and she was quick to join them in their warm up

and they really were given no choice but to embrace her as a potential support act

Thank goodness at that juncture, the guests arrived!

The room looked perfect

in case you have not already deduced, Jennifer Mendez was there to capture the shots so beautifully

This is the view which greeted arriving guests - so chic!

The media hungry tea pot did not wait too long to demand a bestie shot and she chose the youngest of our guests as her target - thanks Millie!

Lucky for her, the crème de la crème of media savvy social commentators, the U on Sunday's Damien Rossi and his beautiful friend M attended the evening and added a touch of glamour

Talking of glamour, this is my very favourite shot of the night

Far North, a magnificent cruising company, sent their beautiful Lisa to our event - their donated prize raised over $20K for our charity - Consider a True North cruise here - they are spectacular! And we were so very grateful for their magnificent support.

Superstar tea cosy would not leave centre-stage, at one point reinventing herself as a drummer because she decided that perhaps a pop career was a distinct possibility!

It was a fabulous night we were able to purchase equipment on the wish lists of our chosen charity AEIOU and CHILD to the value of $163,277! We were over the moon!

As expressed by one of our more vivacious guests - the unstoppable Caitlin!

And if you want to sneak a peak at the wonderful evening - spend a few short minutes checking out this gorgeous video which Jennifer Mendez produced and to remember the true Gatsby spirit

Monday, 26 August 2013

Some of you have been asking what Superstar Tea Cosy has been up to lately.

Well I did not really want to bring up the subject and give her more fame and glory than she rightfully deserves. But ... because you ask.. I will share. As you can see in the photo above, she has asserted her authority over the newly constructed HH picket fence.

To be honest, she has spent the whole of this last week making an absolute nuisance of herself.

Remember this very gorgeous 1970s outdoor setting which I admired recently at Jubilee Antiques? No sooner had it been temporarily christened as the HH office boardroom table, Superstar Tea Cosy saunters in to assert her matriarchal position upon it!

In uber exciting administration news, behold our new Samsung phone system which has been installed (a huge step up from our Uniden Officeworks job). PA HH and I do not know ourselves - we don't have to yell to transfer calls anymore - revolutionising our workplace! Needless to say Superstar Tea Cosy spent time getting to know the honeymooning handsets!

As soon as I declared 47 weeks to go, she was out and about creating havoc.

Kev and Foreman HH really did not take too kindly to her dishing out carpentry advice on their treatment of the fascia boards (as you can tell!)

So, dejected, she turned her talent to supervising the filling of the skip (a place where she probably was due to spend the remainder of her days, but for my charitable rescue of her from the St Vinnies bags!)

My beautiful friend Shelley, who volunteered that she would like a job to do at HH (she may regret making that offer) has done a superb job naming all of the 26 rooms - she is just super super talented and artistic (and a comedic writer too!) and so I am calling her Artistic Director HH from now on. Here she is hard at work on the new boardroom table

And just look at how ultra organised she is - don't we just love coloured flag it notes!

Here are my girls resplendent in their pink hard hats - safety first!

So, inspired, Superstar Tea Cosy decides to cosy up to the new coloured architect plans - and I have not heard the end of her declaring that the green rooms match her current outfit particularly well!

I have had to reprimand her for trying to charge her way into the builders' toilet!

and spent hours educating her that, no matter how green she is, she will never be a power tool!

She spent some time deciding which of the Hanworth kitchens she was going to select as her final resting place after renovations are complete

although I was a little worried she spent too much time in my proposed new office - got me to thinking she was trying to get an invite to move in here in the months to come!

Not even the "keep out" sign would keep this tea cosy out!

undefeated, she entered regardless!

Here is a bird's eye view of my new (and old office) - one day the roof is finally on the next the floor is already off!

And here is carpenter Peter of HH hard at work ( he will grow to hate me for this photo of his backside I am sure!)

The upstairs office had the lion's share of action this week - lots of discussion re fire walls!

Meanwhile, downstairs, the boys were hard at work too - chipping off all of the render from on top of the hand made 1860s bricks - it was painstaking work

and just luxuriate in the finished product

Then the efforts turned to removing enough of the dirt underneath to get rid of the sooty mess

Sans soot!

Up came the internal verandahs too (busy week)

Don't think for a second Superstar tea cosy stayed away from all this action!

She and I both were secretly hoping we would finally find our much anticipated pot of gold beneath!

Alas, no luck, but we did find an 1890s UK penny - that was not all bad! That has to be a bit lucky!

Tea Cosy tart reminded me she was my pot of gold! Dream on I told her!

Outside the house had action too

and my office bathroom had NO action this week - take a look for yourself!

These lads wondered where their scones were this week! I told them I was just too busy but promised them for next week = lucky they have irresistible faces - I just could not say no!

Meanwhile the nerve centre (aka the site office) was truly the place to be!

or on the fence, if you are a teapot! Religiously, each morning Tea Cosy would take herself up to her perch and get a birds eye view of the inbound city traffic

Friend K asked if Tea Cosy was hailing the cab in this photo!

The week was full of highs - we were gearing up to the WANTZ committee's big charity Great Gatsby bash in honour of AEIOU

And Superstar Tea Cosy spent most of the week trying to cajole an invite out of me - the lengths that girl will go to - she would turn up at the opening of a wound!

and we had a low - our wonderful painter Woody who had just finished a job for me suddenly died. Way before his time.

Hanworth House webpage:

Follow us

Follow our Journey

Subscribe via Email!

Views

About Me

This is the story of a unique Brisbane Heritage Home. The 19-bedroom house, constructed in 1864, was purchased in late 2012 in memory of my mother. It was the same story exactly 100 years ago when Mary Weinholt purchased the house in memory of her mother. Honouring her vision, my intention is to return Hanworth to its original glory and once again be part of the Brisbane community. Progress was interrupted on 19 March 2013 when an arsonist set fire to the new renovations, devastating 70% of the home. This is a story from the heart - about the Grand Lady, her caretaker (that is me HH), my family, team, friends, the renovators, supporters, community and the house that will become a home for many more women in the years to come. And of course Superstar Tea Cosy (STC) who has come along for the ride!